Got a spare $100? That’s all you need to transform your iPad from a cool tablet device into one of the most powerful business gadgets on the market – and one that will make you consider ditching the laptop forever.
The iPad is a nice piece of hardware, but it’s the apps that really unlock the power of the device. Here are 20 of the best iPad apps for entrepreneurs.
By now all businesses should be using Twitter and thankfully there are plenty of programs to keep track of your account. But simplicity rules here, and the official Twitter client is still the best way to monitor your tweets.
The biggest drawcard here is the user-interface. It’s clean, simple and doesn’t require any sort of massive effort to learn how things work: simply drag the tweet box down to refresh. Features like messages and the search function can be accessed on the left-hand side and are easy to access at any point. You can also view individual lists.
Viewing attachments and links is just as simple. Click on some text or a picture and then it shows up in another pane on the right-hand side. YouTube links open in a dedicated page, while web links open up a browser where you can move to other websites if you want.
The app does miss out on some things, like the columns function in TweetDeck. But there aren’t many settings to get used to here, you simply type in your username and password and get to it. And for most people, that’s going to be enough.
Price: Free
Imagine you’re on an important business trip, carrying your laptop. But before that big meeting, you suddenly realise that you left a crucial PowerPoint presentation at home and there’s simply no way to access it or have it emailed to you.
Many business owners aren’t even aware of remote-logging technology, which allows users to access one computer from another, or even a different device altogether. The LogMeIn app allows you to do just that.
By installing this app, and the accompanying software on a computer (or several), you can actually access that device through your iPad. Your iPad screen becomes the computer and you can run everything as if you were sitting right in front of it.
The app works on both a 3G and WiFi connection, although you’re going to get better quality signals through WiFi. While you won’t be able to network the two devices by streaming files between them, you can save yourself in a pinch by putting a file into DropBox or emailing it to yourself.
LogMeIn is expensive, but for the travelling entrepreneur it can be a great daily tool, and a lifesaver.
Price: $26.99
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
